The Queensland Labor government retained power, with huge influence coming from the promise of vetoing the $1billion taxpayer loan to Adani.

They held their promise and blocked the loan.

Four Chinese banks, some of the biggest banks in the world, plus the Chinese embassy, refused to support Adani.

Downer, who was contracted to build Adani's mine, walked away.

All of these wins happened because our movement has grown so strong.

But - it's not over yet.

Adani is looking down the barrel of a huge stranded asset, so will do everything it can to push the Carmichael mine ahead.

The mine proposal is Adani's best chance of replacing its current coal-handling contracts, which are set to finish up in the next five years. Without ongoing contracts, Adani's Abbot Point coal port will be in real trouble.

There is also the possibility of Aurizon building an alternative rail line that could service the Carmichael mine and the rest of the Galilee Basin.

India was set to start the next coal boom - and instead we're seeing the country emerge as a renewable energy powerhouse.

With the vast majority of countries signing onto the Paris Agreement, we're seeing the fossil fuel industry declining. In the near future, there will be no market for the thermal coal that Adani so desperately wants, and Australia will have to deal with the mess left behind.

Mackay suffers when it puts all of its eggs in one [mining] industry's basket. Time and time again we hear pleas from the community for a diversification of our region's economy, so that we rely on highly fluctuating industries. Coal is coming to an end - and Adani is not the answer for Mackay.

That's why this year it is so important that we continue to grow and strengthen our movement.

Let's work together to strengthen regional Queensland for generations to come.

When you think of devastating deforestation and extinction you usually think of the Amazon, Borneo and the Congo. But eastern Australia ranks alongside these in the top 10 of the world’s major deforestation fronts – the only one in a developed nation. Most of the clearing is happening in Queensland, and it is accelerating.

Only last year a group of leading ecologists voiced their alarm at new data which showed the clearing of 296,000 hectares of forest in 2013-14. This was three times higher than in 2008-09, kicking Australia up the list as one of the world’s forest-clearing pariahs. At the 2016 Society for Conservation Biology Conference, a Scientists’ Declaration was signed by hundreds of scientists, expressing concern at these clearing rates.

But the latest snapshot, Queensland’s Department of Science report on land cover change published last month, showed a staggering 395,000ha of clearing for 2015-16: an increase of one third on 2014-15. As far as we can tell this rate of increased clearing is unmatched anywhere else on the globe.

showed a staggering 395,000 of clearing for 2015-16: which is an increase of one third on 2014-15, or 133% over the period

Strong vegetation management laws enacted in Queensland – the Vegetation Management Act 1999 – achieved dramatic reductions in forest and woodland loss. But the subsequent Liberal National state government, elected in 2012, overturned these protections.

The current government, elected in 2015, has tried and failed to reinstate the protections. In response, “panic clearing” caused clearing rates to shoot up, in anticipation that the state election will deliver a government that will reintroduce the much-needed protection of forests.

The Queensland Parliament is now in caretaker mode ahead of the November 25 election. The Queensland Labor Party has pledged to reinstate laws to prevent wholesale clearing, while the LNP opposition has vowed to retain current clearing rates.

Media Release

Qld poll shows voter support for Labor’s veto of Adani loan

Two thirds of voters support Qld govt using its power to veto $1BN loan

7 out of 10 voters think Adani should fund own project

Queensland, Australia. A Queensland poll, conducted for the Stop Adani movement just 10 days before Premier Palaszczuk announced her government would veto a $1bn loan in public funds to Adani for its private rail line, shows widespread voter opposition to Adani receiving a taxpayer subsidy and voter support for vetoing the loan.

Lindeman Island Update

Back in July White Horse Australia released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its Lindeman Island resort project. The company proposed to resurrect the defunct Lindeman Island resort and proposed that nearly four square kilometres of the national park be revoked as part of the development.

Mackay Conservation Group and other environment organisations raised concerns that the temporary leases over the national park were to become perpetual. That would set a precedent for national park land to be traded for tourism developments.

We launched a petition calling for the Queensland Parliament to reject revocation of any part of Lindeman Island National Park and to ensure the national park is properly managed so as to protect its exceptional values.

Environment Minister, Dr Steven Miles, has responded to the petition and said that no revocation will occur unless there is a 'net conservation benefit'. The developer has now been given the opportunity to respond to comments made on its EIS. We'll keep you informed about any further information that comes to light.

Environmental Defenders Regional Tour

Come and find out about your rights to be involved in development decisions – from major projects (like ports and mines like Adani Carmichael mine!) to urban developments under planning laws, that impact our trees, wildlife, coastline and Reef.

The law is a powerful tool for helping you to have your concerns meaningfully heard!

EDO solicitors Tania Heber and Revel Pointon are keen to meet you on our regional tour as we make our way from Mission Beach, to Townsville, Airlie Beach and Mackay.

In this session, Tania and Revel will be providing a simple guide to how you can make the most use of your powers to influence decisions that affect your environment and community.

Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) lawyers are experts in environment and planning laws. We provide free legal advice, education and representation to the community to help you use your legal powers to protect the environment and your community’s health.

There will be time for questions and discussions on issues of particular interest to you and your local community.

We look forward to seeing you!

Climate Campaigner comes to Mackay

Ruchira Talukdar is a climate activist from India who has been working on the Adani campaign for many years with Greenpeace and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Ruchira is currently a doctoral candidate investigating coal and climate campaigns in India and Australia. This Thursday she will be presenting her work and experiences to Mackay Conservation Group members.

This will be a great opportunity to gain insight into Adani's conduct overseas and the stories of the India communities affected. Come along to the Environment Centre at 5.30pm to hear her speak.

We will also be planning for our upcoming Flash mob - don't miss out on your chance to be part of this super fun event!

State government grabs 3568 hectares of agricultural land for Adani

In an appalling move that is more special treatment for Adani, the Queensland government has compulsorily acquired 3568 hectares of agricultural land for the company's private rail line.

The government has also granted free, unlimited and unregulated access to groundwater and allowed a royalties holiday worth $320 million of Queensland taxpayer money.

The mine will extract up to 12,000 million litres of water every year from waterways, diverting up to 720 billion litres away from creeks and rivers over the life of the mine. Modelling demonstrates that two springs will be shut down, which would be a massive blow to rural communities that rely on groundwater sources.

In Queensland, water is our most precious resource, both for environmental health and for agricultural use. It supports regional communities and economies and should not be left in the hands of a company that has a demonstrated history of environmental abuse, both here and overseas.

We have set up a petition to Qld Premier Palaszczuk, calling on her to protect our land and our water from an untrustworthy company like Adani, and revoke the decision made by the Coordinator General to compulsorily acquire land for Adani.

Earlier this month, Australia’s outgoing Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews told ABC radio that land clearing is not the biggest threat to Australia’s wildlife. His claim caused a stir among Australia’s biodiversity scientists and conservation professionals, who have plenty of evidence to the contrary.

The ecologist Jared Diamond has described an “evil quartet” of threatening processes that drive species to extinction: habitat destruction; overhunting (or overexploitation); the presence of introduced species; and chains of linked ecological changes, including co-extinctions.

Our politicians aren’t getting the message, so it’s time for us to spell it out for them, with giant #StopAdani human signs!

On Saturday 7 October, crowds of people around Australia will be converging on iconic locations to make massive human signs. We will show our government that the people don't want the Adani Carmichael mine and the special treatment Adani is being given.

We know that governments will do just about anything they can to assist Adani's unviable mine get off the ground. That's why they're planning to pump $1 Billion of taxpayers money into the project using a slush fund.

We have spoken to Mackay people and more than three quarters of them don't want a taxpayer subsidy for the mine.

It's time for people in Mackay to make a public demonstration against the mine. Will you join in our human sign at Lamberts Beach?

We want to make our rally fantastic, so bring your friends, you dog, your neighbours and your Mum & Dad to help make this a huge event.

Adani denies everything, and while they are currently under investigation in India for money laundering, tax evasion and price gouging, allegations similar to these have been investigated in the past and all charges have disappeared before penalties were imposed.

Adani is a company that seems to wield undue influence over the police, customs and politicians in India. We cannot allow this behaviour to infect our political system here.

Already Adani has been given free water, royalty free coal and wants a $1 billion loan. We want to save the Great Barrier Reef, and protect our climate. Our aims are incompatible with Adani in Australia.

Mackay Conservation Group says a new Queensland Government report confirms Adani’s coal terminal has polluted the nationally significant Caley Valley wetlands during Cyclone Debbie and shows the company cannot be trusted to operate a mine, rail and port operation in Queensland.

A report commissioned by the Queensland Department of Environment & Heritage Protection (DEHP), which relied on samples taken four weeks after the cyclone, has found up to 10 per cent of sediment in the wetlands near Adani’s Abbot Point coal terminal was actually coal that the company allowed to leave its site. This follows Adani being fined $12,900 for polluting the Reef coast. Adani is currently challenging the fine in court.

Mackay Conservation Group coordinator, Peter McCallum, who visited the contamination site at the invitation of DEHP to observe the contamination first hand, said “It was clear to me that there was coal everywhere we looked when we visited the site a month after Cyclone Debbie. This report confirms those observations and makes clear that Adani is not fit to operate a massive coal project in Queensland,” Mr McCallum said.

Active in the region for 30 years, BirdLife Mackay is the region's primary go to group for local bird lovers and enthusiasts.

With their dedication to creating a brighter future for Australian birds, the BirdLife Mackay team is often found monitoring seasonal changes in bird life and their habitat, as well as migratory and endangered species, including the Eungella Honeyeater - which isn’t found anywhere else in the world.

The Group will also be participating in the upcoming Eungella Bird Watching and Bushwalking Festival, taking place later this month from September 25th to October 1st. The event will be jam packed with bushwalks, local market stalls, guest lectures, exhibitions and social evenings, and would be a great opportunity to meet other bird admirers.

BirdLife Mackay has monthly outings on the first Sunday of each month, where they take group members to various bird-abundant locations throughout the region, such as Demoleyns Lagoon and Lake Barfield.

Are you a passionate bird lover? Perhaps you would like to meet and engage with people with similar interests? With spring in the air, and migratory birds in full flight, this could be the perfect time to take this passion to a new level and become a member. It’s free! You can also follow them on Facebook to keep updated with upcoming events and outings, here.